Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

CLXVIII: The Two Kings Children

There was once upon a time a king who had a little boy in whose starsit had been foretold that he should be killed by a stag when he wassixteen years of age, and when he had reached that age the huntsmenonce went hunting with him. In the forest, the king's son wasseparated from the others, and all at once he saw a great stag whichhe wanted to shoot, but could not hit. At length he chased the stagso far that they were quite out of the forest, and then suddenly agreat tall man was standing there instead of the stag, and said, "Itis well that I have you. I have already ruined six pairs of glassskates with running after you, and have not been able to reach you."Then he took the king's son with him, and dragged him through a greatlake to a great palace, and he had to sit down to table with him andeat something. When they had eaten something together the king said,"I have three daughters, you must keep watch over the eldest for onenight, from nine in the evening till six in the morning, and everytime the clock strikes, I will come myself and call, and if you thengive me no answer, to-morrow morning you shall be put to death, butif you always give me an answer, you shall have her to wife."When the young folks went to the bedroom there stood a stone image ofSt. Christopher, and the king's daughter said to it, "My father willcome at nine o'clock, and every hour till it strikes three, when hecalls, give him an answer instead of the king's son." Then the stoneimage of St. Christopher nodded its head quite quickly, and then moreand more slowly till at last it again stood still. The next morningthe king said to him, "You have done the business well, but I cannotgive my daughter away. You must now watch a night by my seconddaughter, and then I will consider with myself, whether you can havemy eldest daughter to wife, but I shall come every hour myself, andwhen I call you, answer me, and if I call you and you do not reply,your blood shall flow."Then they both went into the sleeping-room, and there stood a stilllarger stone image of St. Christopher, and the king's daughter saidto it, "If my father calls, answer him." Then the great stone imageof St. Christopher again nodded its head quite quickly and then moreand more slowly, until at last it stood still again. And the king'sson lay down on the threshold, put his hand under his head and slept.The next morning the king said to him, "You have done the businessreally well, but I cannot give my daughter away, you must now watch anight by the youngest princess, and then I will consider with myselfwhether you can have my second daughter to wife. But I shall comeevery hour myself, and when I call you answer me, and if I call youand you answer not, your blood shall flow for me."Then they once more went to the sleeping-room together, and there wasa much greater and much taller image of St. Christopher than the twofirst had been. The king's daughter said to it, "When my fathercalls, answer." Then the great tall stone image of St. Christophernodded quite half an hour with its head, until at length the headstood still again. And the king's son laid himself down on thethreshold of the door and slept. The next morning the king said,"You have indeed watched well, but I cannot give you my daughter now,I have a great forest, if you cut it down for me between six o'clockthis morning and six at night, I will think about it."Then he gave him a glass axe, a glass wedge, and a glass mallet.When he got into the wood, he began at once to cut, but the axe brokein two. Then he took the wedge, and struck it once with the mallet,and it became as short and as small as sand. Then he was muchtroubled and believed he would have to die, and sat down and wept.Now when it was noon the king said, "One of you girls must take himsomething to eat." "No," said the two eldest, "we will not take it tohim, the one by whom he last watched, can take him something." Thenthe youngest was forced to go and take him something to eat. Whenshe got into the forest, she asked him how he was getting on. "Oh,"said he, "I am getting on very badly." Then she said he was to comeand just eat a little. "Nay," said he, "I cannot do that, I have todie anyway, so I will eat no more." Then she spoke so kindly to himand begged him just to try, that he came and ate something. When hehad eaten something she said, "I will pick your lice a while, andthen you will feel happier."So she loused him, and he became weary and fell asleep, and then shetook her handkerchief and made a knot in it, and struck it threetimes on the earth, and said, "Earth-workers, come forth." In amoment, numbers of little earth-men came forth, and asked what theking's daughter commanded. Then said she, "In three hours, time thegreat forest must be cut down, and all the wood laid in heaps." Sothe little earth-men went about and got together the whole of theirkindred to help them with the work. They began at once, and when thethree hours were over, all was done, and they came back to the king'sdaughter and told her so. Then she took her white handkerchief againand said, "Earth-workers, go home." At this they all disappeared.When the king's son awoke, he was delighted, and she said, "Come homewhen it has struck six o'clock." He did as she told him, and then theking asked, "Have you made away with the forest?" "Yes," said theking's son. When they were sitting at table, the king said, "Icannot yet give you my daughter to wife, you must still do somethingmore for her sake." So he asked what it was to be. "I have a greatfish-pond," said the king. "You must go to it to-morrow morning andclear it of all mud until it is as bright as a mirror, and fill itwith every kind of fish."The next morning the king gave him a glass shovel and said, "Thefish-pond must be done by six o'clock." So he went away, and when hecame to the fish-pond he stuck his shovel in the mud and it broke intwo. Then he stuck his hoe in the mud, and it broke also. Then hewas much troubled. At noon the youngest daughter brought himsomething to eat, and asked him how he was getting on. So the king'sson said everything was going very ill with him, and he wouldcertainly have to lose his head. "My tools have broken to piecesagain." "Oh," said she, "you must just come and eat something, andthen you will be in another frame of mind." "No," said he, "I cannoteat, I am far too unhappy for that." Then she gave him many goodwords until at last he came and ate something.Then she loused him again, and he fell asleep, so once more she tookher handkerchief, tied a knot in it, and struck the ground thricewith the knot, and said, "Earth-workers, come forth." In a moment agreat many little earth-men came and asked what she desired, and shetold them that in three hours, time, they must have the fish-pondentirely cleaned out, and it must be so clear that people could seethemselves reflected in it, and every kind of fish must be in it.The little earth-men went away and summoned all their kindred to helpthem, and in two hours it was done. Then they returned to her andsaid, "We have done as you have commanded." The king's daughter tookthe handkerchief and once more struck thrice on the ground with it,and said, "earth-workers, go home again." Then they all went away.When the king's son awoke the fish-pond was done. Then the king'sdaughter went away also, and told him that when it was six he was tocome to the house. When he arrived at the house the king asked,"Have you got the fish-pond done?" "Yes," said the king's son. Thatwas very good.When they were again sitting at table the king said, "You havecertainly done the fish-pond, but I cannot give you my daughter yet,you must just do one thing more." "What is that, then?" asked theking's son. The king said he had a great mountain on which there wasnothing but briars which must all be cut down, and at the top of itthe youth must build a great castle, which must be as strong as couldbe conceived, and all the furniture and fittings belonging to acastle must be inside it.And when he arose next morning the king gave him a glass axe and aglass gimlet, and he was to have all done by six o'clock. As he wascutting down the first briar with the axe, it broke off short, and sosmall that the pieces flew all round about, and he could not use thegimlet either. Then he was quite miserable, and waited for hisdearest to see if she would not come and help him in his need. Whenit was mid-day she came and brought him something to eat. He went tomeet her and told her all, and ate something, and let her louse himand fell asleep.Then she once more took the knot and struck the earth with it, andsaid, "Earth-workers, come forth." Then came once again numbers ofearth-men, and asked what her desire was. Then said she, "In thespace of three hours you must cut down the whole of the briars, and acastle must be built on the top of the mountain that must be asstrong as any one could conceive, and all the furniture that pertainsto a castle must be inside it." They went away, and summoned theirkindred to help them and when the time was come, all was ready. Thenthey came to the king's daughter and told her so, and the king'sdaughter took her handkerchief and struck thrice on the earth withit, and said, "Earth-workers, go home, on which they alldisappeared." When therefore the king's son awoke and saw everythingdone, he was as happy as a bird in air.When it had struck six, they went home together. Then said the king,"Is the castle ready?" "Yes," said the king's son. When they satdown to table, the king said, "I cannot give away my youngestdaughter until the two eldest are married." Then the king's son andthe king's daughter were quite troubled, and the king's son had noidea what to do. But he went by night to the king's daughter and ranaway with her. When they had got a little distance away, the king'sdaughter peeped round and saw her father behind her. "Oh," said she,"what are we to do? My father is behind us, and will take us backwith him. I will at once change you into a briar, and myself into arose, and I will shelter myself in the midst of the bush."When the father reached the place, there stood a briar with one roseon it, and he was about to gather the rose, when the thorn prickedhis finger so that he was forced to go home again. His wife askedwhy he had not brought their daughter back with him. So he said hehad nearly got up to her, but that all at once he had lost sight ofher, and a briar with one rose was growing on the spot. Then said thequeen, "If you had but gathered the rose, the briar would have beenforced to come too." So he went back again to fetch the rose, but inthe meantime the two were already far over the plain, and the kingran after them. Then the daughter once more looked round and saw herfather coming, and said, "Oh, what shall we do now? I will instantlychange you into a church and myself into a priest, and I will standup in the pulpit, and preach." When the king got to the place, therestood a church, and in the pulpit was a priest preaching. So helistened to the sermon, and then went home again.Then the queen asked why he had not brought their daughter with him,and he said, "Nay, I ran a long time after her, and just as I thoughtI should soon overtake her, a church was standing there and a priestwas in the pulpit preaching." "You should just have brought thepriest," said his wife, "and then the church would soon have come.It is no use to send you, I must go there myself." When she hadwalked for some time, and could see the two in the distance, theking's daughter peeped round and saw her mother coming, and said,"Now we are undone, for my mother is coming herself, I willimmediately change you into a fish-pond and myself into a fish."When the mother came to the place, there was a large fish-pond, andin the midst of it a fish was leaping about and peeping out of thewater, and it was quite merry. She wanted to catch the fish, but shecould not. Then she was very angry, and drank up the whole pond inorder to catch the fish, but it made her so ill that she was forcedto vomit, and vomited the whole pond out again. Then she cried, "Isee very well that nothing can be done now, and asked them to comeback to her." Then the king's daughter went back again, and the queengave her daughter three walnuts, and said, "With these you can helpyourself when you are in your greatest need."So the young folks once more went away together. And when they hadwalked quite ten miles, they arrived at the castle from whence theking's son came, and near it was a village. When they reached it,the king's son said, "Stay here, my dearest, I will just go to thecastle, and then will I come with a carriage and with attendants tofetch you."When he got to the castle they all rejoiced greatly at having theking's son back again, and he told them he had a bride who was now inthe village, and they must go with the carriage to fetch her. Thenthey harnessed the horses at once, and many attendants seatedthemselves outside the carriage. When the king's son was about toget in, his mother gave him a kiss, and he forgot everything whichhad happened, and also what he was about to do. At this his motherordered the horses to be taken out of the carriage again, andeveryone went back into the house. But the maiden sat in the villageand watched and watched, and thought he would come and fetch her, butno one came. Then the king's daughter took service in the mill whichbelonged to the castle, and was obliged to sit by the pond everyafternoon and clean the tubs.And the queen came one day on foot from the castle, and went walkingby the pond, and saw the well-grown maiden sitting there, and said,"What a fine strong girl that is. She pleases me well." Then she andall with her looked at the maid, but no one knew her. So a long timepassed by during which the maiden served the miller honorably andfaithfully. In the meantime, the queen had sought a wife for herson, who came from quite a distant part of the world. When the bridecame, they were at once to be married. And many people hurriedtogether, all of whom wanted to see everything. Then the girl saidto the miller that he might be so good as to give her leave to goalso. So the miller said, "Yes, do go there." When she was about togo, she opened one of the three walnuts, and a beautiful dress layinside it. She put it on, and went into the church and stood by thealtar. Suddenly came the bride and bridegroom, and seated themselvesbefore the altar, and when the priest was just going to bless them,the bride peeped half round and saw the maiden standing there. Thenshe stood up again, and said she would not be given away until shealso had as beautiful a dress as that lady there.So they went back to the house again, and sent to ask the lady if shewould sell that dress. No, she would not sell it, but the bridemight perhaps earn it. Then the bride asked her how she was to dothis. Then the maiden said if she might sleep one night outside theking's son's door, the bride might have what she wanted. So thebride said, "Yes," she was willing to do that. But the servants wereordered to give the king's son a sleeping draught, and then themaiden laid herself down on the threshold and lamented all nightlong. She had had the forest cut down for him, she had had thefish-pond cleaned out for him, she had had the castle built for him,she had changed him into a briar, and then into a church, and at lastinto a fish-pond, and yet he had forgotten her so quickly.The king's son did not hear one word of it, but the servants had beenawakened, and had listened to it, and had not known what it couldmean. The next morning when they were all up, the bride put on thedress, and went away to the church with the bridegroom. In themeantime the maiden opened the second walnut, and a still morebeautiful dress was inside it. She put it on, and went and stood bythe altar in the church, and everything happened as it had happenedthe time before. And the maiden again lay all night on the thresholdwhich led to the chamber of the king's son, and the servant was oncemore to give him a sleeping draught. The servant, however, went tohim and gave him something to keep him awake, and then the king's sonwent to bed, and the miller's maiden bemoaned herself as before onthe threshold of the door, and told of all that she had done. Allthis the king's son heard, and was sore troubled, and what was pastcame back to him. Then he wanted to go to her, but his mother hadlocked the door.The next morning, however, he went at once to his beloved, and toldher everything which had happened to him, and prayed her not to beangry with him for having forgotten her. Then the king's daughteropened the third walnut, and within it was a still more magnificentdress, which she put on, and went with her bridegroom to church, andnumbers of children came who gave them flowers, and offered them gayribbons to bind about their feet, and they were blessed by thepriest, and had a merry wedding. But the false mother and the bridehad to depart. And the mouth of the person who last told all this isstill warm.